JP6620490B2 - Age-hardening steel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to age hardenable steel. More specifically, after being processed into a predetermined shape by hot forging and cutting, an age hardening treatment (hereinafter simply referred to as “aging treatment”) is performed, and desired strength and toughness are ensured by the aging treatment. The present invention relates to steel for manufacturing machine parts for automobiles, industrial machines and construction machines.

  For example, high fatigue strength is required for machine parts used in automobiles, industrial machines, construction machines, and the like from the viewpoint of increasing the output of automobile engines and reducing the weight to improve fuel efficiency. If the steel used for this type of machine part only has a high fatigue strength, it can be easily achieved by increasing the hardness of the steel using alloy elements and / or heat treatment. However, after forming by hot forging, machine parts that are further processed by cutting to finish and then subjected to aging treatment for strengthening are subjected to high fatigue in the state after aging treatment. At the same time, it is required to have sufficient machinability in the state before aging treatment after hot forging.

  The techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 have already been disclosed as age-hardened steel having high fatigue strength after aging treatment and at the same time having excellent machinability before aging treatment.

  In Patent Document 1, by adjusting the content of each alloy element so as to satisfy a specific parameter formula, the hardness at the time of cutting is kept low, and V, Mo, and Ti are contained in a composite manner. Therefore, an age-hardening steel that exhibits high fatigue strength after aging treatment has been proposed.

  In Patent Document 2, steel containing Mo and V is hot-rolled or hot-forged, and then cooled according to the steel components, the hardness is 400 HV or less, the structure is bainite ratio 70% or more, and the old Age-hardened high-strength bainite with an austenite crystal grain size of 80 μm or less, then subjected to cutting or plastic processing as necessary, and further subjected to an aging treatment to bring the yield point or 0.2% proof stress to 900 MPa or more. Steel has been proposed.

JP 2012-193416 A JP 2013-253265 A

  As is well known, increasing the amount of V is effective as one method for increasing the age-hardening ability of age-hardening steel containing V. Further, as another method for increasing the age hardening ability, it is effective to contain a carbide forming element such as Mo, Ti, Nb in a composite manner.

  Here, regarding steel that already contains a certain amount of V, if a certain amount of V is further increased, and a case where the same amount of Ti is compounded, the Ti is combined. It is known that the amount of increase in age-hardening ability becomes larger when it is contained. That is, when a large age-hardening ability is required, in order to save the amount of V, which is an expensive element, to suppress an increase in material cost, it is effective to contain Ti in a composite manner. However, if steel contains Ti, toughness may deteriorate. In particular, if Ti is contained in steel strengthened with V carbide, the toughness may be significantly degraded.

  Steel with deteriorated toughness has an increased notch sensitivity. If the notch sensitivity is increased, the fatigue strength of the steel is easily affected by fine surface flaws. Moreover, once a fatigue crack is generated in steel with low toughness, the crack progresses quickly and the fracture becomes large. Furthermore, if the toughness of the steel becomes too low, it becomes difficult to correct the strain caused by hot forging cold after hot forging. Therefore, it is desired to suppress the reduction in the toughness of steel as much as possible.

  By the way, the steel currently disclosed by patent document 1 has big age-hardening ability, comparatively reducing content of V and Mo which are expensive elements by containing Ti, V, and Mo compoundly. It is supposed to be obtained. However, since the steel of Patent Document 1 contains Ti in a composite manner, there is a concern about deterioration of toughness.

  On the other hand, the steel disclosed in Patent Document 2 is said to be able to obtain high age-hardening ability by adjusting the alloy element content so as to satisfy a specific parameter formula. However, it is difficult to say that the content of V and Mo, which are expensive elements, can be saved because the device for improving the age-hardening ability has not been sufficiently devised.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and basically, the machinability in the cutting process performed before the age hardening treatment is excellent, and at the same time, the fatigue strength after the aging treatment is high and the toughness is excellent. It is an object to provide age-hardening steel that suppresses an increase in material costs.
More specifically, an object is to provide an age-hardenable steel that satisfies the following <1> to <3>.
<1> Low hardness after hot forging related to cutting resistance and tool life. In the following description, the hardness after hot forging is referred to as “hardness before aging treatment”.
<2> A mechanical component can be provided with a desired fatigue strength by aging treatment while containing V and Ti in a composite manner and keeping the V content relatively low.
<3> Even if V and Ti are combined, the toughness after aging treatment is high.

  In developing the age-hardening steel of the present invention, the specific performance target of the steel is desirably, for example, the hardness before aging treatment is 320 HV or less, and the fatigue strength described later after aging treatment is 490 MPa or more. Further, the absorbed energy at 20 ° C. after the aging treatment evaluated by the Charpy impact test performed using a standard test piece with a U notch having a notch depth of 2 mm and a notch bottom radius of 1 mm described in JIS Z 2242 is It is intended to provide age hardenable steel that will be 20 J or more.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors use a steel in which V and Ti are compounded and various amounts of other alloy components are adjusted to enhance the age hardening ability of the steel. In order to reduce the adverse effect on the toughness of the steel, the optimum Ti presence state was investigated. As a result, the following findings (a) to (c) were obtained.

  (A) If Ti is contained in steel, Ti may form various Ti compounds in the steel and deteriorate toughness. The degree of adverse effects on toughness varies depending on the presence form of Ti, and what form of Ti is the strongest and deteriorates toughness depends on the structure and hardness of the base material.

  (B) When steel further sufficiently precipitated and strengthened with fine V carbonitrides is further incorporated with Ti, the toughness deteriorates as the Ti-based inclusions are coarser and the number thereof increases. In order to reduce the number of coarse Ti-based inclusions, the amounts of C, N, and S may be reduced.

  (C) On the other hand, when the steel is strengthened by precipitation strengthening with fine carbides and its hardness is high, Ti is present in the steel in the form of fine (V, Ti) (C, N). If so, the toughness deteriorates as compared with the case where Ti is not contained, but the deterioration allowance is small. Moreover, when the presence form of Ti is fine (V, Ti) (C, N), the effect of improving the age hardening ability by Ti becomes large.

  Therefore, in order to alleviate the adverse effect on toughness while maximizing the effect of age hardening on Ti, the coarse Ti-based inclusions are reduced and fine (V, Ti) (C, N) New recognition that it should be increased.

  Furthermore, the present inventors made various adjustments to the steel components that satisfy the conditions that can ensure toughness after aging, based on the above-mentioned novel recognition, and the steel structure, hardness before aging, and age hardening ability. As a result of the investigation, the following findings (d) to (f) were obtained.

  (D) If the contents of C, Mn, Cr, and Mo are controlled so that the value of F1 represented by the formula (1) described later falls within a specific range, during cooling after hot forging It is possible to suppress the precipitation of proeutectoid ferrite and increase the bainite ratio of the structure. The precipitation of proeutectoid ferrite is accompanied by the precipitation of V carbides. Therefore, if precipitation of pro-eutectoid ferrite can be suppressed, it becomes possible to prevent V from precipitating and hardening before aging treatment.

  (E) If the contents of C, Si, Mn, Cr, V, and Mo are controlled so that the value of F2 represented by the formula (2) described later falls within a specific range, before aging treatment It can suppress that hardness becomes high excessively. Therefore, machinability capable of industrial mass production can be realized when cutting under various conditions.

  (F) If the contents of Ti and N are controlled so that the value of F3 represented by the formula (3) described later falls within a specific range, the effect of improving age-hardening ability by Ti is sufficiently exhibited. The

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above knowledge, and the gist thereof is the age-hardening steel shown in the following (1) to (3).

(1) In mass%,
C: 0.05 to 0.25%
Si: 0.01 to 0.50%,
Mn: 0.50 to 2.5%,
S: 0.001 to 0.050%,
Cr: 0.20 to 2.50%
Al: 0.001 to 0.080%,
V: 0.10-0.60%,
Mo: 0.30-0.90%,
Ti: 0.020 to 0.150%
And P: 0.03% or less,
N: limited to less than 0.0080%,
The balance consists of Fe and inevitable impurities,
Chemistry in which F1 represented by the following formula (1) is 0.65 or more, F2 represented by the formula (2) is 1.00 or less, and F3 represented by the formula (3) is 0.015 or more. Having a composition,
Moreover, the age-hardening steel is characterized in that the number of Ti carbonitrides having a circle-equivalent diameter of 1.5 μm or more in an area of 7.5 mm 2 at an arbitrary position in the cross section is 120 or less.
F1 = C + 0.3Mn + 0.25Cr + 0.6Mo (1)
F2 = C + 0.1Si + 0.2Mn + 0.15Cr + 0.35V + 0.2Mo (2)
F3 = Ti-3.4N (3)
In addition, the element symbol in said (1)-(3) formula means content in the mass% of the element.

(2) The age-hardening steel according to (1), further containing Nb: 0.1% or less.

(3) The age-hardening steel according to (1) or (2), further comprising at least one of Ca: 0.005% or less and Bi: 0.4% or less.

The age-hardening steel of the present invention is excellent in machinability before age-hardening treatment, has high fatigue strength after aging treatment, is excellent in toughness, and has a relatively low material cost.
As a specific performance value, in the age-hardening steel of the present invention, for example, the hardness before aging treatment in hot forging is 320 HV or less, and after aging treatment performed after cutting processing. Fatigue strength is 490 MPa or more, and 20 ° C. after aging treatment evaluated by a Charpy impact test conducted using a standard test piece with a U notch having a notch depth of 2 mm and a notch bottom radius of 1 mm described in JIS Z 2242 It is possible to secure a toughness with an absorbed energy of 20 J or more.

  Below, each requirement of this invention is demonstrated in detail. In the following description, “%” of the content of each element means “% by mass”.

  The age-hardenable steel of the present invention contains, as essential components, C: 0.05 to 0.25%, Si: 0.01 to 0.50%, Mn: 0.50 to 2.5%, S: 0.00. 001 to 0.050%, Cr: 0.20 to 2.50, Al: 0.001 to 0.080%, V: 0.10 to 0.60%, Mo: 0.30 to 0.90%, Ti: Steel containing 0.020 to 0.150%. First, the reasons for limiting these essential component elements will be described.

<C: 0.05 to 0.25%>
C combines with V and Ti to form carbides and strengthens the steel. However, if the C content is less than 0.05%, V and Ti carbides are difficult to precipitate, and thus a desired strengthening effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the C content exceeds 0.25%, cementite (Fe ₃ C) increases, so that toughness deteriorates. Therefore, the content of C is set to 0.05 to 0.25%. The C content is preferably 0.08% or more, and more preferably 0.10% or more. The C content is preferably 0.22% or less, and more preferably 0.20% or less.

<Si: 0.01 to 0.50%>
Si strengthens the solid solution. In order to sufficiently obtain the effect of solid solution strengthening, the Si content needs to be 0.01% or more. However, in steel containing a large amount of Mn and Cr, if the Si content is excessive, the amount of retained austenite in the structure after hot forging becomes too large, and deformation during aging treatment may increase. Therefore, the Si content is set to 0.01 to 0.50%. Note that the Si content is preferably 0.05% or more, and more preferably 0.10% or more. Further, the Si content is preferably 0.40% or less, and more preferably 0.35% or less.

<Mn: 0.5 to 2.5%>
Mn improves the hardenability and shows the effect of making the structure after hot forging bainite. Furthermore, by reducing the bainite transformation temperature, the effect of making the bainite structure finer and increasing the toughness of the matrix is also shown. Moreover, Mn forms MnS in steel and has the effect | action which improves the chip disposal property at the time of cutting. In order to obtain these effects sufficiently, it is necessary to contain 0.5% or more of Mn. However, since Mn is an element that easily segregates during solidification of the steel, if it exceeds 2.5%, it is inevitable that the hardness variation in the part after hot forging becomes large. Therefore, the Mn content is set to 0.5 to 2.5%. The Mn content is preferably 0.7% or more, and more preferably 0.8% or more. Further, the Mn content is preferably 2.3% or less, and more preferably 2.1% or less.

<S: 0.001 to 0.050%>
Since S has the effect of forming MnS by combining with Mn in steel and improving the chip disposability during cutting, it is necessary to contain 0.001% or more. However, if the S content increases, Ti sulfide precipitates and deteriorates toughness. In particular, if the S content exceeds 0.050%, the toughness and fatigue strength are significantly reduced. Therefore, the content of S is set to 0.001 to 0.050%. The S content is preferably 0.005% or more, and more preferably 0.010% or more. Further, the S content is preferably 0.040% or less, and more preferably 0.030% or less.

<Cr: 0.20 to 2.50%>
Cr, like Mn, increases the hardenability and exhibits the effect of making the structure bainite. Furthermore, the bainite structure after transformation is refined and the toughness is improved by the effect of lowering the bainite transformation temperature and the effect of refining the austenite grain size during hot forging. In order to obtain these effects sufficiently, it is necessary to contain 0.2% or more. However, if the Cr content exceeds 2.5%, the hardenability becomes excessive, the hardness before aging treatment increases, and the machinability deteriorates. Therefore, the content of 0 is set to Cr 0.2 to 2.50%. The Cr content is preferably 0.30% or more, and more preferably 0.40% or more. Further, the Cr content is preferably 2.00% or less, and more preferably 1.60% or less.

<Al: 0.001 to 0.080%>
Al is an element having a deoxidizing action. In order to obtain this effect, it is necessary to contain 0.001% or more. However, if Al exceeding 0.080% is contained, coarse Al oxide is generated, and the toughness is lowered. Therefore, the Al content is set to 0.001 to 0.080%. The Al content is preferably 0.050% or less, and more preferably 0.040% or less.

<V: 0.10 to 0.60%>
V is the most important element in the steel of the present invention. V combines with C during aging treatment to form fine carbides, thereby increasing the fatigue strength. Further, when Ti and Mo are contained in the steel, V also shows an effect of further aging hardening ability by being combined with Ti and Mo by aging treatment. In order to sufficiently obtain these effects, V needs to be contained by 0.10% or more. However, if the content of V exceeds 0.60%, undissolved carbonitride tends to remain even by heating during hot forging, leading to a decrease in toughness. Moreover, if the V content is excessive, the hardness before the aging treatment may increase. Therefore, the content of V is set to 0.10 to 0.60%. The V content is preferably 0.15% or more, and more preferably 0.20% or more. The V content is preferably 0.55% or less, and more preferably 0.50% or less.

<Ti: 0.020 to 0.150%>
Ti has an effect of increasing age-hardening ability by forming carbides in combination with V by aging treatment. In order to obtain this effect remarkably, it is necessary to contain 0.020% of Ti. However, if the Ti content exceeds 0.150%, it will be difficult to form a solution of the Ti compound during hot forging, and not only will the aging hardening capacity be saturated, but also coarse Ti charcoal. Nitride increases and reduces toughness. Therefore, the content of Ti is set to 0.020 to 0.150%. The Ti content is preferably 0.025% or more, and more preferably 0.030% or more. Further, the Ti content is preferably 0.120% or less, and more preferably 0.100% or less.

<Mo: 0.30-0.90%>
Mo has a function of increasing age-hardening ability by forming carbide in a composite form with V and Ti in steel containing V and Ti. In order to obtain this effect remarkably, the Mo content needs to be 0.3% or more. On the other hand, if the content of Mo increases, the steel material becomes expensive and the toughness also decreases. Therefore, the content of Mo is set to 0.30 to 0.90%. The Mo content is preferably 0.35% or more, and more preferably 0.40% or more. The Mo content is preferably 0.70% or less, and more preferably 0.60% or less.

  The age-hardenable steel of the present invention basically includes the above-described elements from C to Mo as essential components, and the balance thereof is composed of Fe and impurities, but for P and N in the impurities, P: Restricted to 0.05% or less and N: less than 0.0080%. The reasons for the restriction of P and N will be described next. In addition, an impurity refers to what is mixed from the ore as a raw material, a scrap, or a manufacturing environment, etc. when manufacturing steel materials industrially here.

<P: 0.05% or less>
P is contained as an impurity and is an undesirable element in the present invention. P segregates at the grain boundaries and thus reduces toughness. Therefore, the content of P is set to 0.04% or less. The P content is preferably 0.03% or less.

<N: less than 0.0080%>
N is an element that contributes to the formation of fine carbonitrides by combining with V. However, in steel containing V and Ti in a composite manner, N combines with Ti together with C to form coarse Ti carbonitrides and deteriorate toughness. When the N content is 0.0080% or more, the toughness is significantly lowered. Therefore, the N content is less than 0.0080%. The N content is preferably less than 0.0050%, more preferably less than 0.0040%, and even more preferably less than 0.0035%.

  Furthermore, the age-hardening steel of the present invention contains the elements from C to Mo as described above, and at the same time, not only restricts P and N as described above, but also contains Nb: 0.1% or less. In addition, one or more selected from Ca: 0.005% or less and Bi: 0.4% or less may be contained. Therefore, these selective additive elements will be described next.

<Nb: 0.1% or less>
Nb has the effect of increasing age-hardening ability by forming carbides in combination with V, Ti, and Mo. For this reason, you may contain Nb as needed. However, when the Nb content exceeds 0.1%, the toughness deteriorates. Therefore, the amount of Nb in the case of inclusion is set to 0.1% or less. When Nb is contained, the amount of Nb is preferably 0.06% or less, and more preferably 0.04% or less.
On the other hand, in order to stably obtain the effect of Nb described above, the amount of Nb in the case of inclusion is preferably 0.01% or more, and more preferably 0.02% or more.

  Further, both Ca and Bi have an action of extending the tool life. For this reason, when it is desired to further increase the tool life, these elements may be contained within the range described below.

<Ca: 0.005% or less>
Ca has an action of extending the tool life. For this reason, you may contain Ca as needed. However, if the content of Ca increases, a coarse oxide is formed and the toughness is deteriorated. Therefore, the Ca content in the case of inclusion is set to 0.005% or less. When Ca is contained, the amount of Ca is preferably 0.0035% or less.
On the other hand, in order to stably obtain the effect of extending the tool life due to the addition of Ca described above, the amount of Ca in the case of containing Ca is preferably 0.0005% or more.

<Bi: 0.4% or less>
Bi has the effect of reducing the cutting resistance and extending the tool life. For this reason, you may contain Bi as needed. However, if the Bi content is increased, the hot workability is lowered. Therefore, the amount of Bi when contained is set to 0.4% or less. When Bi is contained, the amount of Bi is preferably 0.3% or less.
On the other hand, in order to stably obtain the effect of prolonging the tool life due to the addition of Bi as described above, the Bi content when Bi is contained is preferably 0.03% or more.

  Said Ca and Bi can be contained only in any 1 type or 2 types of composites. The total content of these elements in the case of containing two kinds may be 0.405% corresponding to the upper limit values of Ca and Bi, but should be 0.3% or less. Is preferred.

  Of course, the Nb and one or more of Ca and Bi may be contained at the same time or may contain only one of them.

  Furthermore, Cu and Ni are often contained as impurities in the steel, but in the age-hardening steel of the present invention, Cu: 0.3% or less and Ni: 0.3% or less are allowed as impurities. The The reason is as follows.

<Cu: 0.3% or less>
If Cu is 0.3% or less, it does not affect toughness and age-hardening ability, so it may be contained in the age-hardening steel of the present invention.

<Ni: 0.3% or less>
Ni may be contained in the age-hardening steel of the present invention as long as it is 0.3% or less because it does not affect toughness and age-hardening ability.

Furthermore, in the age-hardening steel of the present invention, not only is the individual content of each element adjusted as described above, but the mutual relationship between the amounts of each element is expressed by the value of F1 in the following formula (1), ( It is important to adjust so that the value of F2 in the expression (2) and the value of F3 in the expression (3) are within predetermined ranges.
That is, F1 represented by formula (1) is 0.65 or more, F2 represented by formula (2) is 1.00 or less, and F3 represented by formula (3) is 0.015 or more. Having a chemical composition is effective for improving the machinability by suppressing the hardness before aging treatment, and at the same time improving the age-hardening ability and improving the fatigue resistance and aging properties after aging treatment. is there.
F1 = C + 0.3Mn + 0.25Cr + 0.6Mo (1)
F2 = C + 0.1Si + 0.2Mn + 0.15Cr + 0.35V + 0.2Mo (2)
F3 = Ti-3.4N (3)
In addition, the element symbol in said (1)-(3) formula means content in the mass% of the element.
Next, the reasons for limiting the values of F1 to F3 will be described.

<F1: 0.65 or more>
The microstructure of the age hardenable steel of the present invention is determined during cooling after hot forging. In order to suppress the formation of proeutectoid ferrite during cooling to room temperature after hot forging and obtain a bainite-based structure, F1 represented by the formula (1) must be controlled. If F1 is 0.65 or more, bainite is formed by forging in a normal hot forging process in which the average cooling rate between 800 ° C. and 500 ° C. is 0.15 to 3.0 ° C./second. The main organization can be obtained. Note that F1 is preferably 0.68 or more, and more preferably 0.73 or more.

<F2: 1.00 or less>
In order to prevent the hardness before the aging treatment in the age-hardening steel of the present invention from becoming too high, F2 represented by the formula (2) must be controlled. If F2 is 1.00 or less, aging is performed by forging in a normal hot forging process in which the average cooling rate between 800 ° C. and 500 ° C. is 0.15 to 3.0 ° C./second. The hardness before processing can be set to 320 HV or less. F2 is preferably 0.95 or less, and more preferably 0.90 or less.

<F3: 0.015 or more>
In the age-hardenable steel of the present invention, F3 represented by the formula (3) must be 0.015 or more in order to obtain the effect of improving age-hardening ability by adding Ti. F3 is preferably 0.020 or more, and more preferably 0.025 or more.

Further, in the age-hardening steel of the present invention, as a metallographic condition, 7.5 mm at an arbitrary position of a cross section having a circle-converted diameter of 1.5 μm or more in an area of 7.5 mm ² at an arbitrary position of the cross section. It is necessary that the number of Ti carbonitrides having a circle-equivalent diameter of 1.5 μm or more in the region ² is 120 or less. Next, the dispersion density condition of such Ti carbonitride will be described.

<Dispersion density condition of Ti carbonitride>
Coarse Ti carbonitride serves as a starting point for brittle fracture as a so-called coarse inclusion. In particular, when it exists in steel with low ductility, toughness is greatly deteriorated, so it is necessary to reduce it as much as possible. Here, the Ti carbonitride is TiN, Ti (C, N), and a phase in which a part of Ti is substituted with Fe, V, Mo, or the like among these phases. In order to reduce the adverse effect of Ti carbonitrides on toughness, the diameter when the area on the cross section appearing in the observation area of the area of 7.5 mm ² at any position in any cross section of the steel is converted to a circle The number of coarse Ti carbonitrides having a thickness of 1.5 μm or more may be 120 or less. The number of coarse Ti carbonitrides on the cross section is preferably 100 or less, and more preferably 90 or less.

In addition, the number of coarse Ti carbonitrides having a circle-equivalent diameter of 1.5 μm or more in the “observation region of an arbitrary position of 7.5 mm ² in an arbitrary cross section of steel” is 120 or less. The number of coarse Ti carbonitrides with a circle-converted diameter of 1.5 μm or more is 120 or less at any cross-section in any direction of the steel and at any position in each cross-section in an observation area of area 7.5 mm ^2. means. However, since the coarse Ti carbonitride hardly changes its form in the rolling or forging process, it may be observed at any one place in any one cross-sectional position, but in the surface layer of the steel material, Since decarburization and denitrification occur depending on hot rolling conditions, in practice, it is preferable to observe at a position excluding the surface layer of the steel material.

<Manufacturing method>
The method for producing the age-hardening steel of the present invention is not particularly limited, and any method may be used as long as the number of coarse Ti carbonitrides on the cross section does not exceed the above conditions, and the production is performed according to a conventional method. However, a preferred example of a method for manufacturing machine parts such as automobiles, industrial machines, and construction machines will be described below.

First, a material subjected to hot forging (hereinafter referred to as “hot forging material”) is produced from steel whose chemical composition is adjusted to the above-described range.
As the material for hot forging, a billet obtained by performing ingot rolling on an ingot, a billet obtained by performing batch rolling on a continuous cast material, or a bar steel obtained by hot rolling or hot forging these billets can be used.

  Next, the above-mentioned hot forging material is hot forged and further cut into a predetermined part shape.

  The above hot forging is performed, for example, by heating the hot forging material at 1100 to 1350 ° C. for 0.1 to 300 minutes, and then forging so that the surface temperature after finish forging becomes 900 ° C. or higher. Then, it cools to room temperature by making the average cooling rate of the temperature range to 800-400 degreeC into 10-90 degreeC / min. After cooling in this way, it is further cut to finish a predetermined part shape.

Finally, an aging treatment is performed to obtain machine parts such as automobiles, industrial machines, and construction machines having desired characteristics.
The aging treatment is performed, for example, in a temperature range of 540 to 700 ° C, preferably in a temperature range of 560 to 680 ° C. The retention time of this aging treatment is adjusted according to the size (mass) of the machine part for soaking, but is preferably, for example, 30 to 1000 minutes.

  Examples of the present invention are shown below.

<Example 1>
Steels A to X having chemical compositions shown in Table 1 were melted in a 50 kg vacuum melting furnace.
Steels A to L in Table 1 are steels whose chemical compositions are within the range defined by the present invention. On the other hand, steels M to X in Table 1 are steels whose chemical compositions deviate from the conditions specified in the present invention.
Each steel ingot was heated at 1250 ° C. and hot forged into a steel bar having a diameter of 60 mm. Each hot forged steel bar was once allowed to cool in the atmosphere and cooled to room temperature. Thereafter, the steel was further heated to 1250 ° C. for 30 minutes, and forging into a part shape was assumed. The surface temperature of the forged material at the time of finishing was set to 950 to 1100 ° C., and hot forged into a steel bar having a diameter of 35 mm. After hot forging, all were allowed to cool in air and cooled to room temperature.

For each test number, some of the steel bars cooled to room temperature after finishing to the above-mentioned diameter of 35 mm by hot forging were not subjected to aging treatment (that is, in a cooled state), and both ends of the steel bars were After cutting off each 100 mm, a test piece was cut out from the remaining central portion, and the hardness before aging treatment was investigated.
On the other hand, for each test number, the remainder of the hot forged steel bar is subjected to an aging treatment that is held at 600 to 630 ° C. for 60 to 180 minutes, and both ends of the steel bar are cut off by 100 mm, and then the test piece is removed from the remaining central part. The hardness after cutting and aging treatment was investigated. Moreover, about each test number, the test piece was cut out from the steel bar, and the absorbed energy and fatigue strength in the Charpy impact test after the aging treatment were investigated.

  Hardness measurement was performed as follows. First, a test piece was prepared by crossing a steel bar, filling the resin so that the cut surface became the test surface, and mirror polishing. Next, in accordance with “Vickers hardness test—test method” in JIS Z 2244 (2009), the test force is set to 9 for 10 points near the R / 2 part (“R” represents a radius) of the test surface. The hardness was measured as 8N. The above 10 points were arithmetically averaged to obtain Vickers hardness. When the hardness before the aging treatment is 320 HV or less, it is judged that parts that are machined under various conditions can be industrially mass-produced, and this is the target. When ΔHV, which is an increase in hardness by aging treatment, is 40 points or more, it was judged that high age-hardening ability was exhibited, and this was the target.

The number of coarse Ti carbonitrides on the unit cross-sectional area was measured as follows. The observation area of 7.5 mm ² of the test piece after the hardness measurement is observed by SEM, and the diameter when the area on the cross section of the observed inclusion is converted into a circle is 1.5 μm or more, and The number of carbonitrides having an atomic fraction of Ti of 0.2 or more among the metal elements constituting the inclusions was counted by EDS measurement.
The toughness after the aging treatment is evaluated by a Charpy impact test conducted using a standard test piece with a U-notch having a notch depth of 2 mm and a notch bottom radius of 1 mm, and the absorbed energy at a test temperature of 20 ° C. is 20 J or more. Judged that it was high enough, and aimed this.

The fatigue strength was investigated by preparing an Ono-type rotating bending fatigue test piece having a parallel part diameter of 8 mm and a length of 106 mm. That is, the above-mentioned test piece is collected so that the center of the fatigue test piece is R / 2 part of the steel bar, the number of tests is set to 8, and the Ono type rotation is performed at room temperature and in the atmosphere under the condition that the stress ratio is -1. A bending fatigue test was performed. The maximum value of the stress amplitude when the number of repetitions was not broken up to 1.0 × 10 ⁷ times was defined as the fatigue strength. When the fatigue strength was 490 MPa or more, it was judged that the fatigue strength was sufficiently high, and this was the target.

  These measurement results are shown in Table 2.

  As is apparent from Table 2, in the case of “Examples of the present invention” of test numbers A1 to A12 having the chemical composition defined in the present invention, the hardness before aging treatment is 299 HV or less, and the hardness by aging treatment is 51 in HV. Hardened more than the point, the fatigue strength after aging is 500MPa or more, the absorbed energy in Charpy impact test is 23J or more and the target is achieved, and both strength and toughness after aging treatment are compatible, and before aging treatment From the fact that the hardness of the tool is low, it can be seen that a reduction in cutting resistance and a longer tool life can be expected.

  On the other hand, in the case of “Comparative Examples” with test numbers B1 to B12 that are out of the definition of the present invention, the target performance is not obtained.

  In test numbers B1 to B3, the N concentration of steels M to O used is as high as 0.0088% or more, and the number of coarse Ti carbonitrides is large. Therefore, the absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test after aging treatment is 7 to It is as low as 11J and is inferior in toughness. Steels A, B, and C are steel types with a small number of coarse Ti carbonitrides, and chemical components other than N concentration, hardness after aging, and fatigue strength are close to steels M, N, and O, respectively. The absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test after aging treatment of steels A, B, and C with a small number of coarse Ti carbonitrides is 35 to 50 J, and the toughness is greatly improved by reducing the number of coarse Ti carbonitrides. I understand that.

  In test numbers B4 to B6, the Ti concentration of the steels P to R used is as low as 0.002% or less, so ΔHV, which is an index of age hardening ability, is as low as 36 points, and the fatigue strength after aging is also low as 485 MPa or less . The chemical components of the steels P, Q, and R are close to the chemical components of the steels A, B, and C, except for the Ti concentration. Steels A, B, and C containing a sufficient amount of Ti have ΔHV of 51 to 77 points and fatigue strength of 500 to 525 MPa. By containing Ti in combination with V, age hardening ability and after aging It can be seen that the fatigue strength is increased.

Since test number B7 has a high F2 value of 1.02 for steel S used, the hardness before aging treatment is as high as 368 HV and the machinability is poor.
In test number B8, since the F1 value of the steel T used was as low as 0.64, V carbide was precipitated together with pro-eutectoid ferrite during cooling after hot forging, and ΔHV was as low as 21. Has a low fatigue strength of 460 MPa.
In test number B9, the Ti content of the steel U used was as high as 0.210%, so the absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test after aging treatment was as low as 8 J, and the toughness was poor.
In test number B10, since the C content of the steel V used was as high as 0.35%, the hardness before the aging treatment was as high as 325 HV, and the machinability was poor. Furthermore, since coarse TiC increased, the absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test after the aging treatment was as low as 9 J, which is inferior in toughness.
In test number B11, since the S content of the steel W used is as high as 0.101%, the absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test after aging treatment is as low as 13 J, and the toughness is inferior.
In test number B12, since the value of F3 of steel X used was as low as 0.013, the effect of increasing the age hardening ability by Ti was not sufficiently exhibited, ΔHV was as low as 38, and the fatigue strength after aging was 480 MPa. Low.

  The preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above. However, these embodiments and examples are merely examples within the scope of the present invention and do not depart from the spirit of the present invention. Thus, addition, omission, replacement, and other changes of the configuration are possible. That is, the present invention is not limited by the above description, is limited only by the scope of the appended claims, and can be appropriately changed within the scope.

Claims (3)

% By mass
C: 0.05 to 0.25%
Si: 0.01 to 0.50%,
Mn: 0.50 to 2.5%,
S: 0.001 to 0.050%,
Cr: 0.20 to 2.50%
Al: 0.001 to 0.080%,
V: 0.10-0.60%,
Mo: 0.30-0.90%,
Ti: 0.020 to 0.150%
And P: 0.03% or less,
N: limited to less than 0.0080%,
The balance consists of Fe and inevitable impurities,
Chemistry in which F1 represented by the following formula (1) is 0.65 or more, F2 represented by the formula (2) is 1.00 or less, and F3 represented by the formula (3) is 0.015 or more. Having a composition,
Moreover, the age-hardenable steel is characterized in that the number of Ti carbonitrides having a circle-equivalent diameter of 1.5 μm or more in an area of 7.5 mm ² at an arbitrary position in the cross section is 120 or less.
F1 = C + 0.3Mn + 0.25Cr + 0.6Mo (1)
F2 = C + 0.1Si + 0.2Mn + 0.15Cr + 0.35V + 0.2Mo (2)
F3 = Ti-3.4N (3)
In addition, the element symbol in said (1)-(3) formula means content in the mass% of the element.   Furthermore, Nb: 0.1% or less is contained, Age-hardening steel of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The age-hardenable steel according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one of Ca: 0.005% or less and Bi: 0.4% or less.